I read that report yesterday with the hope of finding out where they intended the charging stations to be located. No luck there. Am I correct in assuming that they haven't published the whereabouts of each station yet? If they haven't, are they "collecting" opinions or have they decided locations but not yet published them?

Funnily enough, upon reading their report, I had exactly the same reaction as jonescg - don't put them where the EV drivers are - put them where the EV drivers are going (or on the way to where they are going).

Another question - are DC fast chargers compatible with J1772 or do they have a different connector? When we finished my conversion there was no J1772 and we used a normal 3 pin plug. Since then I have a 3 pin to J1772 adaptor which works fine.

I am hopeful that they will put at least one charger between North Sydney and the Central Coast of NSW (Gosford region). I have friends and relatives who live on the Central Coast, Newcastle and Port Stephens. I live in southern Sydney which means my Suzuki can get to Northern Sydney OK but, after charging, would have another 100kms to get to Gosford. The longest I have travelled in the Suzuki is 81kms and, though I think it could get a few more kms, I don't think it will get 100kms.

Another question - are DC fast chargers compatible with J1772 or do they have a different connector? When we finished my conversion there was no J1772 and we used a normal 3 pin plug.

In Queensland, all the DC fast chargers are accompanied by AC chargers as well; these will be J1772 compatible. [ Edit: as Joseph posts below, they're actually Mennekes (Type 2), for which you need your own cable. ] I believe it's the same in Western Australia. So hopefully they will do the same in NSW.

The DC fast chargers are a different connector and a completely different protocol as well, where the car continuously tells the charger the charge rate it wants. With AC charging, it's really just supplying AC to your own on-board charger.

[ Edit: corrected statement re J1772 compatibility. ]

Learning how to patch and repair PIP-4048 inverter-chargers and Elcon chargers.

About time! I've just found out (by mistake, when zooming out in plugshare) the number of chargers in New Zealand brings an absolute shame to Australia. Oz is so far behind compared to NZ. I can even find EV for rent in NZ much easier by simply googling it. That'll definitely my bucket list for the family holiday, going around NZ in an EV (still can't afford the Tesla though) .

Anybody have any further info on the install timeline? I know that Jindabyne has gone in, Newcastle is rumoured but no-one has reported seeing it yet, and Cooma is in the pipeline (this year? in Massie St, behind the visitors centre. Bega is apparently on the list. Can't find out definitive info re sites or timelines.

Anybody have any further info on the install timeline? I know that Jindabyne has gone in, Newcastle is rumoured but no-one has reported seeing it yet, and Cooma is in the pipeline (this year? in Massie St, behind the visitors centre. Bega is apparently on the list. Can't find out definitive info re sites or timelines.

There have been pictures of the Newcastle one posted online in the last week. 2x Tritium DC, no AC chargers. Can't remember the exact location or where I saw the pictures, sorry

NRMA Wallsend (Newcastle) is now operational. Jindabyne apparently ready to be. Cooma (Massie St) delayed until later 2018 due to cabling challenges.
Snowy Monaro Council is in discussions with NRMA about adding recharging infrastructure to Bombala, Nimmitabel and Adaminaby.

Unfortunately no, you cannot use the Veefil chargers with your Zoe. There may be a nearby 5-pin, three-phase, 32 amp socket you can use. The Qld Electric Superhighway made sure there was a 22 kW Mennekes AC charge point at each location, but it seems the NRMA aren't going down that route. The AEVA has offered sockets to make this a bit smoother, but the offer was declined. A great opportunity for a nearby business to put one in I think.

Almost like the rail gauges of Aulbury-Wodonga and Wallangarra-Jennings eh?

Thank you for the very prompt response.
Oh dear,
That sounds rather poor. Perhaps time to relinquish my NRMA membership after 47yrs.
Canberra has abundant chargers with Type 2.
The problem seems to be Sydney to Canberra where there are only low powered chargers (unless driving a Tesla).
Looks as if NSW will continue to be last in the charging area.
I also fed back to NRMA (as others have done about NOT putting chargers where the members are, rather putting them along the way to where members wish to travel.

It's a difficult situation. DC fast charging networks serves a particular purpose. Renault chose not to enable DC fast charging on the Zoe, when every other mainstream manufacturer does so in one form or another. Should every fast charging site have to set up a third charge connection just because Renault chose to do this?

Is it fair that a space is taken by a car charging for a couple of hours at 22kW, preventing a car that can charge at 50 or 150kW (when such vehicles are on the roads) from getting their 20-40 minute charge that they need to continue? Getting a good location takes a lot of negotiating and juggling many balls at once. The spaces for many of these chargers are being given up by local councils, and while some may be OK with 1-2, asking for 3-4 might make it a no-go.

My view - a 22kW Type 2 charger can be installed anywhere that has a 3-phase 32A supply - such as a standard 3-phase socket. There could be numerous Type 2 chargers set up in multiple places in towns which host a DC charger. It doesn't necessarily need to be at the same site.

I drive a Leaf and I understand that, at some point, fast chargers will stop supporting Chademo and go purely for CCS2. It's a good thing overall. The fewer plug types, the better.

Speculation is that the 2019 Zoe will have CCS2 - it won't be long until this whole thing is long forgotten.

I do congratulate the NRMA on their initiative- it is great- but I think it could be better.

Likewise, I congratulate Nissan in bringing the Leaf to Australia when it did and thereby promoting EVs a lot more at an early stage. I congratulate Renault in finally bringing the Zoe (which I am really enjoying) to Australia. I think it is a really tough scene and manufacturers have to be very bold bringing any EV to Australia where we have no incentives and if anything, just discouragements. A charging network is a big part of this. We should have (at least for now) a network that handles the international AC and DC charging standards). Similarly with the Japanese standard, I see no issue supporting Chademo, even if it is not an International standard, if there is a high volume of vehicles. After all, typically anything that is high volume becomes a defacto standard.

The Zoe has been around in Europe since 2012. It is the biggest selling EV in Europe. The Leaf is biggest selling in the world, though the Zoe has been sold in a much more restricted marketplace. I travel frequently in Europe and there is an abundance of AC charging. One French village (population 300) where I visited a few weeks ago had THREE charging spots! That is pretty typical in places such as France, UK, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Germany and others. AC charging locations are much cheaper to provide than DC. The UK motorways also have good and growing charging facilities. There is a big UK Zoe population criss crossing the country using 22kW AC charging. Yep, plenty of Leafs and other vehicles as well.

So, Renault in bringing the Zoe to Australia in 2018 is not going to add DC charging for Australia before it is added in Europe. I suspect Europe might happen in 2020, but maybe I am wrong and perhaps it will come there (to Renault Z.E.s) in 2019. The current Zoes being sold here are 2017 models. On the plus side, I drove mine away one week after ordering. A bit different from the UK where the waiting list is 6 months. So, maybe Renault can be criticised for no DC charging but it does not seem to be inhibiting their sales & they cannot keep up with the demand. The CCS2 standard connector on the EV provides for both AC and DC charging. I too believe that nearly everyone will end up with that. You plug in your CCS2 plug for DC and you plugin your Type2 just in the top section. Great design and implementation and yes it does embrace AC and DC.

So, having Type2 AC charging is NOT a dying investment. You will be able to connect it to the CCS2 connector on your car or to a Zoe or Kangoo or a number of other EVs (Teslas) with Type2 Mennekes sockets.

I do agree DC charging is the way of the future. However, it would not cost much to add AC Type 2 capability in proximity with high speed DC chargers on the regional routes in NSW. Sure, do not do it in cities where space is at a premium and perhaps put on time limits (in association, for example, with the NRMA member card). Also, I agree a 22kW charge should not be in the same parking spot as for 150kW charging (when that comes).